Re-Thinking Inequality through a Local-Global Lens: Historical Imagination in the Liberal Arts

The development of four linked courses
open to all undergraduates on the theme of resource inequality in global and
local contexts.

Mount Holyoke seeks support from NEH Connections to develop four linked classes--economics, environmental studies, history, and sociology--to help students understand the historical circumstances of resource inequality in global and local contexts. Students need to grasp the ways that prior human actions have created the cultures and institutions we now inhabit so they can see how inherited arrangements shape future possibilities, but do not fully determine them. The linked courses, part of our Development Studies track, will share readings and participate in a joint learning community. New experiential learning modules will be incorporated in each course. This pilot will be tested over two years and then shared as a model that can be applied across the academic divisions. This sharing will involve a faculty seminar and course development incentives for faculty adapt their courses and majors. In this way, we hope to demonstrate how utilizing a critical historical perspective can enhance learning outcomes outside the humanities.